The following post was kindly written by Woodlore customer Tim Farrington, seen below in his finished birch bark canoe: 
Having first seen Aaron York’s Abenaki canoe in Ray Mears’ book Bushcraft, and then watching the César’s Bark Canoe documentary on the National Film Board of Canada’s website, I was eager to find out more about these amazing crafts.
You can now watch the sixth and final episode of Ray’s latest series, Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears, online. Simply click on the image below to be taken to the official ITV Player website:
Ray on location on the Isle of Skye
Ray’s latest series comes to a close this week, with the sixth and final episode of Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears hitting our screens at 7:30 PM on Tuesday 30th December, on ITV1.
In this episode, Ray journeys to the magnificent Isle of Skye in search of Britain’s rarest bird of prey, the spectacular sea eagle. Yet, it is a golden eagle he spots overhead which truly inspires him. He says: “I could watch that bird all day. It’s so majestic, and it makes our puny efforts at moving through this landscape seem completely ridiculous. It’s wonderful. You know, native people all over the world considered eagles to have a special affinity with the creator because they flew so high – I think they’re right.”
If you missed episode five, in which Ray explored Borrowdale in the Lake District, you can still catch up on the ITV Player here.
You can now watch the fifth and penultimate episode of Ray’s latest series, Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears, online. Simply click on the image below to be taken to the official ITV Player website:
Ray Mears in Ontario (photo by Goh Iromoto)
The latest issue of The Great Outdoors magazine includes a feature on Ray’s recent canoeing trip in Ontario, Canada. Ray gave his own first-hand account in a previous blog post of ours, but it’s interesting to see the trip from another point of view. Peter Coombs joined Ray and Becky Mason for a portion of their adventure, and his article can be seen in the January issue of The Great Outdoors, which went on sale today. To whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt: Continue reading
Ray with the book’s author, Martin Hayward Smith
A new book has been released this autumn, chronicling the captivating lives of one of Britain’s most recognisable native species. My Year with Hares records one man’s amazing year-long obsession with this fascinating animal, from his addiction to finding and photographing them through the seasons, to rearing a rescued leveret.
The book’s author is one Martin Hayward Smith, a professional wildlife cameraman and photographer, who has travelled the world extensively for the BBC and Discovery, among many other companies. Ray and Martin first worked together during the filming for Ray’s Wild Britain series, and it was this chance meeting that ultimately led to Ray writing the foreword to Martin’s beautiful book.
Read on for Ray’s foreword in its entirety, along with a selection of Martin’s images, taken from My Year with Hares:
If you want to see wildlife you need to dress warmly and in colours that blend in with your surroundings. Then go outdoors when others are indoors and sit perfectly still. Remain perfectly still even if it involves suffering. Continue reading
Having returned from an extremely successful expedition in Namibia this year, we wanted to share with you a small taster of our experiences:
Isaac, one of our San Bushman guides
Ray Mears on location in the Lake District
To those of you who have been eagerly awaiting the next episode of Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears, we would like to thank you for your ongoing patience. Episode five, which sees Ray travelling to Borrowdale in the Lake District, will be broadcast at 7:30 PM on Tuesday 23rd December, on ITV1.
The following post was written by Woodlore Senior Assistant, Ross Burt:
It’s that time of year when work goes quiet. Does that mean that it’s time to rest? NO! It means that I can get out into the woods and practice my skills, as well as produce items to sell or, in this case, give as a Christmas present! So, not only am I out practising and gaining more knowledge, I am also saving money and giving someone a much-needed gift.
I have just finished two chopping boards and a hanger for them; there is one from beech (this will be used for vegetables) and one from oak (for meat). There’s a give-away on the boards that suggests what each one should be used for! The hanger is made of oak and I decided to make the pegs from the same materials as each board.
Ross’ Handmade Chopping Boards
You can now watch the fourth episode of Ray’s brand new series, Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears, online. Simply click on the image below to be taken to the official ITV Player website:
If you missed episode three, which saw Ray exploring the rugged landscape of Snowdonia, you can catch up on the ITV Player here.
The Ray Mears & Woodlore Bushcraft Blog 